A comforting lie
by nilboriel-89
Summary: After Harry's disappearence, Ginny struggling. Draco takes the opportunity to see if he can use it to his own advantage when trying to complete the task the Dark Lord has given him.
1. Chapter 1 Down Diagon Alley

**Author notes: **Well, this is my first ever published fic! Beware! Please review, it'll help me out. Thanks for reading!

**Chapter 1: Down Diagon Alley**

She looked at her big, brown eyes reflected in the mirror as she took some strands of her red hair between two fingers.

"I think I want to cut it…"

"Huh!" A grunt from Ron made Ginny turn around to face him, looking slightly irritated.

"…My hair."

Ron sat back in his chair with a mixture of surprise, and a relieved look on his freckly face. He had almost been dogging her steps the last months. To see if she was okay, he claimed the reason was, but she had a suspicion that he didn't want to be alone either.

Ron looked down at his hands. "Oh, that. But Gin… What's up with you? You've just been all silent and sad lately! Since, you know… Harry-" Ron said, but when he saw her expression, he fell silent.

It felt like a big rock had just collided with her heart. Every time Harry's name was mentioned, she felt that way, except every time, the rock was bigger and the collision more painful. This time she felt like she would be knocked off her feet; the only reason why she didn't was that she was sitting.

"I don't want to talk about Harry, Ron! I just want to get a haircut! That's all! Nothing more!" She knew he noticed her shaky voice, but it was impossible to control the emotions bubbling up inside her. Ginny didn't know if anyone had ever felt the sorrow she was trying to deal with at the moment; all she knew was that it felt like she was drowning in her own grief. And no one was able to pull her out of it. She would have keep on swimming until she found a rock to climb on to.

The rock never seemed to appear.

Ginny closed her eyes so that she only could hear Ron as he continued, now in a lower voice.

"Well, I miss him too, Gin. He was my best mate. Is my best mate," he corrected. "_Is."_

Ginny felt tears pressing against her eyelids, but she refused to cry. She had been crying more than she thought was possible for a human being to cry. Now she wanted to get over Harry. Not forget him, but get over him.

"So, can we go to Diagon Alley to get my hair cut?" She rose from the couch she was sitting in, grabbed her purse, and walked straight over to the fireplace where she seized some floo powder from a small pot on the mantelpiece. Then she looked over at Ron, who was still parked in the chair, looking puzzled at her.

"Are you serious?" he said, looking as though he thought it was some kind of dim-witted joke. Starting to feel irritated, Ginny marched over to the chair, and took a hold on Ron's arm.

"Of course I'm serious! Why wouldn't I be? Now, are you coming, or do I have to go alone?" she snapped, trying to drag him to his feet, but giving up as he put up a great resistance.

"But Ginny-" Ron started, as if he wanted to talk her out of going to Diagon Alley.

"Fine! I don't know why you have such a problem with me wanting to cut my hair, but I'll go alone!" Ginny barked at him. She let go of his wrist and stepped into the fireplace by herself. As she threw the powder into the fire and said "Diagon Alley" as clearly as she could, she thought she saw Ron getting up from the chair behind her, but didn't have time to turn around and check properly. The next second she was spinning fast, holding her elbows as close to her body as she possibly could.

---

She hadn't been quite herself since the night Harry had disappeared, left alone to herself wondering whether he was alive or dead, if she would ever meet him again, or if she had lost him forever.

At the time he had broken up with her, she hadn't lost her fate in that they would get back together once it was all over. There was no doubt in her mind that he would succeed finishing You-Know-Who off for good. And then he would come back to her, and things would be fine again. They would start a life together, and put the whole story of You-Know-Who behind them.

But things didn't quite turn out as she had thought they would.

Last summer, the Death Eater and the Order had another fight that resulted in several deaths: Alastor Moody finally found his end in Bellatrix Lestrange's killing curse; Fenrir Greyback and Remus Lupin had both been transformed into werewolves as the full moon entered the night sky, and Greyback had attacked everyone around him right away, causing the death of Minerva McGonagall and Charlie Weasley. In the end, Lupin and Greyback had started to fight each other; two strong, fully transformed werewolves biting and ripping each other everywhere while a shocked Tonks stood frozen not far away, watching the fight with terror in her eyes.

After a long and bloody fight, it was Neville who ended it in the end by sending a Disarming charm at a Death Eater that missed, and hit Greyback in his forehead, knocking him out. He was left to bleed to death while Lupin, badly wounded, was sent to St. Mungo after the battle.

It had taken a while before he turned up. But finally, when about half of the Death Eaters, and not few from the Order had been knocked out or killed, he turned up. The Dark Lord had entered the fight, his hood covering his face, his wand raised.

From that moment, Ginny didn't actually remember what happened. One second it was dead silent; the next, Harry ran forwards, and when she opened her eyes again, both of them had disappeared.

It had felt like her heart jumped up in her throat and choked her when she realized Harry was missing. How she had yelled for him. She had run until her legs couldn't hold her up anymore, and then she had sat down, whispering Harry's name over and over again, hoping she could conjure him out of thin air if she whispered long enough.

That was the last time she had seen him.

---

"How would you like it, miss?"

The hairdresser's eyes met hers in the mirror as he put a plastic collar around her.

"You know… Just _cut_! This hair is too long for my own good. It's so goddamn heavy. It drags my head down to the ground. I want something new and fresh," she told the hairdresser, who gave her a wink, and picked up a pair of scissors, who at once whistled, as if it was eager to get started to cut.

"Say goodbye to your long, red strands, and hello to a brand new look."

---

Her hands ran down her neck where her hair tickled her slightly when she moved her head. She actually liked this new hairstyle. It was very different from the long, curly hair she had before, but she liked it. It made her look fresh, and that wasn't bad, seeing as she didn't feel fresh at all.

There were, strangely enough, very few people in Diagon Alley this day. In fact, the only people Ginny noticed were two men who were sitting on the table behind her in a little café called A Cauldron Full of FlavorsNipping to a cup of tea and trying to get used to her new look, Ginny listened to the two men's conversation.

"Cheers, Philip! May your beard be at least twice as long before the next time we run out of Firewhiskey." The harsh voice indicated that the man was about sixty years old.

"Hear hear, Ernie! God, have I missed this. You and I, sitting here with our glasses full of Firewhiskey, talking about the old days."

Ginny could hear the sound of two glasses colliding in a toast, followed by some gulps. Obviously the two men were drinking Firewhiskey as if the world ended unless they drank the whole glass in one sip.

"Aah. I feel ten years younger already. It's been a hard time, those years when You-Know-Who was back. The wife wouldn't let me leave the house. Not even for a drink."

Again, Ginny could hear the two men taking another mouthful of their glasses.

"Well. Let's hear it for Harry Potter who made him disappear again, and allowed us to get out of the house for a drink now and then."

Ginny suddenly felt her heart beating at double speed. She hadn't gotten used to Harry's name being mentioned everywhere yet. At Hogwarts, yes, because he was around all the time, but all other places, people talked about him. Ginny was sick of it. She felt it as if they were invading her privacy, not letting her have any quiet time to get over what happened with Harry. It was as if the world had agreed to talk about Harry all the time, not allowing her to forget him.

_You don't want to forget him, you stupid worm._

"No, I don't," she mumbled to herself, taking another nip of her tea.

"You know, Ernie, Patty told me just yesterday that she had seen Harry Potter not far from here. I thought the poor bastard was dead a long time ago, but it seems he isn't."

At those words, Ginny dropped her tea cup. Warm tea ran down her table as she sat there, motionless like a statue, listening to every word from the two men.

"Really? Where? I thought no one had seen him for ages. "

"He looked all shabby and dirty, but she swore it was him. I think it was down in Knockturn Alley somewhere." The man started to laugh, and Ginny felt a sudden cold spreading through her body.

_Harry? In Knockturn Alley?_

She got to her feet without giving the cup of tea she had dropped a thought, and started to run down Diagon Alley. Behind her, the waitress yelled something after her. Probably because she had left not only the tea cup, but the bill unpaid. Ginny didn't notice it. She didn't notice the cold wind, or that it had become dark. Her heart was thumping like mad, as she turned a corner and continued down Knockturn Alley, her eyes searching for something she didn't know between the shops and the few people that were there.

Harry would be here. She was sure of it. She would find Harry here, take him back to the Burrow, and hear him tell her everything that had happened since she last saw him, a year ago. She would find him. She _would!_

Gasping for air, Ginny sat down on a bench in a small, dark park at the end of Knockturn Alley next to a man who had his face covered with a big newspaper and a hat.

She must have ran for at least half an hour, her feet were hurting, and it felt as if she hadn't breathed properly for a lifetime.

Tears were threatening to take over, and Ginny felt no point in fighting it. She hadn't found Harry. Deep down, she had known she wouldn't, but the loss of hope that had been there for that half hour still hurt. She would give whatever it took to meet Harry one last time. At least long enough to take a proper goodbye. As she sat there, breathing heavily, listening to her heartbeat, and feeling hot tears steam down her face, Ginny suddenly felt a tiredness taking over her body. As she wiped the tears of her cheek, she felt her eyes closing, and the next second, her head dropped down on the shoulder of the man sitting next to her on the bench.

---

Draco Malfoy closed the paper he was reading, and smirked. It wasn't every day a Weasley was seen down in Knockturn Alley. And least of all Ginny Weasley, the most precious of them all. Draco turned to look at the girl who was resting her head upon his shoulder, wondering why she was here. In fact, she looked rather troubled, he thought, looking at the wet stripes of tears that had ran down her face. But part from that, he couldn't deny that she had really grown up. He remembered her as the little girl who had sent Harry Potter a pathetic Valentine's card and been so desperate to go to the Yule Ball that she had accepted to go with Neville Longbottom. Now she was a woman. And, he had to admit, a damn beautiful one, with the red hair around her face and her eyes closed.

Draco took off his hat, and ran his fingers through his blond hair. He would wait for her to wake up, and then… He didn't know yet, but the opportunity was too good to turn down. The only Weasley daughter, left all alone by herself in Knockturn Alley, looking as if she was having an emotional breakdown.

He could not let the opportunity pass.

**A/N: **Ohoho! You've really read through the whole thing? Congrats to you! Please review!


	2. Escape through the darkness

Chapter two up! I've just moved to another house, that's the reason for the time. Sorry! But remember Monty Python. Cheers!

I Still loves reviews.

**Chapter 2: Escape through the darkness.**

Ginny opened her eyes and noticed that it was dark all around her, not to mention cold. Her hands felt like ice, and she would be surprised if she was able to move her fingers. As she was about to turn her head, she noticed that she it was resting upon a shoulder. Whose shoulder?

She looked down at the man's hands, which lay in his lap, and gasped. Even in the darkness, there was no mistaking the mark on his wrist. The Dark Mark. You-Know-Who's mark. She had been sleeping on the shoulder of a Death Eater.

"Finally awake, are we?" The man's voice surprised her. She had expected it to be much darker, but it actually seemed like the he was around her own age. And come to think of it, didn't she know that voice? Ginny lifted her head, her eyes wide open. She did not know whether to be scared, surprised, or angry when she turned her head, and her brown eyes met Draco Malfoy's grey ones. Despite the darkness around them, she saw his eyes clearly. The cold eyes that she had learned to despise ever since she started at Hogwarts. And now, with the dark mark on his wrist, she felt a fresh hate rising inside her.

Just when Ginny was about to shout all her aggression at Malfoy, she thought of something and stopped, her mouth open so that she had the look of a goldfish that had been out of its bowl for too long.

No one had actually heard or seen anything of Malfoy since the night Dumbledore had died. Malfoy and Snape had disappeared, and been gone for so long that people assumed they were dead. Yet, here she sat on a bench in Knockturn Alley, talking with him as if nothing had happened. Where had Malfoy been all that time, and more importantly, what had he done? Was it possible that Malfoy knew anything about Harry and You-Know-Who?

"Malfoy." Her eyes narrowed as she looked over at the former Slytherin. He was, in fact, looking much better than the last time she had seen him. Not a huge surprise, as he was thin and nervous with a sort of grayish skin that time, but still. He had grown to be all most a head taller than her, and his hair looked neat. It laid over his face in a strange way that suited him, though she hated to admit it. Draco Malfoy was actually… _handsome._

"Are you enjoying Knockturn Alley this wonderful dark evening?" he smirked. Even though Malfoy had changed, the smirk was still the same old. She couldn't count the times she had wanted to smash his face because of that smirk. Now, however, she was too exhausted to even bother.

"No."

Ginny got up from the bench, and looked around. The clock on her arm told her that it was half past ten. "Did I really sleep for three hours?"

Still smirking, Malfoy got up too. "Actually, you've slept about three and a half hours. I think your cheap watch has stopped." He nodded at Ginny's forearm where her old watch. "Where did you get it? At a yard sale?" Something flickered in his eyes.

"Yard sale? _Please!" _Ginny started, as if she would never, not even in her wildest dreams, buy anything at yard sale. "I inherited it from my brother," she mumbled, and felt a blush spreading through her face. Wordlessly, she thanked the darkness for hiding it.

Malfoy reached out his own arm, probably to tap on the glass of her watch, but she was quicker, and seized him by the wrist, pulling up the cloak that hid the Dark Mark.

"So…" Her brown eyes narrowed as her finger slid across the mark. "Your big, dark baby-sitter finally let you get outside the house?" Her finger stopped at the snake's mouth before the dug her nail into his skin so that it left a mark, before she let go of his arm as if she had been burned. His skin was cold. Way colder than hers, even though she was the one who had been sleeping for three and a half hours.

"Don't touch me, Weasley, or I'll never tell you how to get back into Diagon Alley," Draco said. His voice was even colder than his skin.

"Oh, perhaps you didn't notice. We are in a dark park in Knockturn Alley, and there are at least seven different lanes you could get lost in here. Admit it, Weasley, you need me to show you the way back."

He sounded amused, and the smirk was back on his face. Ginny would like to punch him right now. "Perhaps I'll take the chance, then." She turned her back at him, and aimed at the first dark road she saw when she felt Malfoy's cold hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Do you really _want _me to hit you?" she said, and lifted her fist.

"No. I just wanted to warn you before you wander off into the darkness." He grabbed her other shoulder, and turned her around so that they were looking into each others eyes. "Even though they don't wear they masks all day long, there are still Death Eaters out there, Weasley. And they wouldn't stop to think about right or wrong if some girl just came walking past them. If you plan on getting lost, Knockturn Alley is certainly _not_ the place. So you have a choice. You either have to spend some time with me and get safely back to Diagon Alley, or you can go. I won't stop you, but know the risk."

He let go of her shoulders, just staring at her. Ginny looked confused at him. Had Malfoy actually _warned_ her? What did he care if she went in there and got herself killed? She looked away from his grey eyes, and into the dark alley behind her. She knew she should never trust him. He was a Death Eater. A Slytherin. A Malfoy. None of those things counted in his favor. Still, he had warned her when he could just let her go and get raped, or killed, or something.

"What's in it for you?"

He still looked quite amused.

"Just the pleasure of your company."

---

Draco's grey eyes watched Ginny as they walked side by side up Knockturn Alley. Yes, she could become useful to have around. He had walked around Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley for days, and had all most lost of his faith in that he would be able to finish his task. And all hell would break loose if he didn't. He had already failed the first task the Dark Lord had given him, and he was sure he wouldn't have many days left to enjoy if he messed up on this one too.

---

"_For you, Draco, I now have a special task." _

_The Dark Lord placed a white, cold hand with long fingers on his shoulder, and Draco immediately felt chill spreading through him._

"_What, my lord?" _

_Voldemort smiled the most inhuman smile Draco had ever seen. Compared to this smile, his own smirks were warm and loving. All Voldemort's smile did was make him even more nervous for the task he was about to be given._

"_Harry Potter." _

_The fingers of the Dark Lord tightened around his shoulder blade. _

"_He escaped this night, and I want you to get him back. I need the boy."_

_Draco swallowed. Why was it always him that was given the difficult tasks? Any other Death Eater with far more experience than him could have done the task on one third of the time. Why, then, did the Dark Lord give him these tasks? He had been asked to finish Dumbledore off, even though the Dark Lord knew perfectly well that the task was too difficult and dangerous for a sixteen-year-old to do. _

"_You remember how merciful I was when you were last given a task, and failed it?" The false kindness in Voldemort's voice was even more frightening than when he was angry. It made every bone in Draco's body shiver, but he forced calmness in his voice, trying to block his mind so that the Dark Lord would not sense his fright._

"_Yes, my Lord."_

"_I won't be merciful again, Draco. If you fail to bring me the boy, alive, I will not be pleased. Both you and your loved ones will be punished. Keep that in mind, Draco. I will not be merciful."_

"_I see, my Lord. I will not disappoint you."_

_---_

These last few days, he had been certain that the Dark Lord would call on him and punish him for not completing the task. The only clue he had was some drunken guys on a café who were talking about a woman they knew who had spotted Potter in Knockturn Alley. She had probably been drunk too.

He could not believe his luck when Harry Potter's girlfriend walked right into his arms (or more precisely, his shoulder). She may be his former girlfriend, but Draco was sure they still loved each other. At least, he hoped they did, because she was his last hope. If Potter still was around, and he found out that Ginny Weasley was right under his nose, Draco was sure it wouldn't take long before he came to talk to her. And then he would capture him, bring him to the Dark Lord and get his reward. All he had to do was to make sure that Ginny stayed with him for as long as possible. But that also meant that he would have to be nice to her to stop her from leaving.

"So. How are you?"

_Oh God, Draco. That's just pathetic. Be glad no one heard you right now._

Ginny turned her head, and regarded him. He could see that she was suspicious, and that wasn't really surprising. Trying to resume some of his old manners, he added. "I asked you a question, Weasley. Didn't your parents teach you how to behave?"

Looking a mixture of irritated and confused, Ginny opened her mouth. "I'm fine, thanks. Can't wait to get away from this bloody lane. Why do Death Eaters always have to stay in the darkness? Does it make you feel tough? Or do you like the thought of being invisible?" she spat at Draco, who found the whole situation amusing.

"It's so that we can sneak up on little enemies when they don't know we're there!"

A dark voice came from a dark corner near Ginny, and the next second, a curse had been cast. As she dived to the ground and felt the curse missing just above her head, she saw Draco taking a step forward with his wand raised.

"Get out of here, Lombard, I'm on a mission."

Lombard stepped out from the dark corner he had been hid. He was a tall man with a long, white beard. Being a little chubby, he would have reminded people of Santa Claus, if it hadn't been for the fact that he was thin on top, and that his eyes were cold and evil. Not the kind of man you would want to sit on the lap of, nor the kind of man you would want to have come climbing down your chimney.

"Ah, Malfoy." Lombard sneered, and his gaze fell upon Ginny, who quickly rose from the ground and drew her own wand.

Draco didn't like the situation. He knew Lombard had been guarding Harry while he had been imprisoned, and he might know a few things that worked for his advantage right now.

"Well, well, well. Is this the famous little redhead we've all heard so much about? Ginny, am I right?" His eyes glimmered as he took one step towards her. Draco could see the girl gape for a moment before she tried to pull herself together, rising her arm and pointing her wand at Lombard.

"That's none of your concern. Lombard, wasn't it?" She kept on pointing her wand at Lombard, but took a step closer to Draco, which, under different circumstances, he would have found entertaining. But now, he wanted to get Lombard away before he ruined everything.

"Well, you are well known where I come from, Miss Weasley. You wouldn't guess all Potter has mumbled in his sleep the last-"

At these words, before Draco had time to react, Ginny had.

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Within a second, she was holding both Lombard's and her own wand in her hand, pointing them right between his eyes.

"You said _what!_ No, I will _not _remove my wand from your face before you give me some answers, mister. Get away, Malfoy!"

She turned, and gave the blonde a threatening look, and Draco, who had stepped towards her, a bit shocked over how the girl had reacted, froze, and remained still while he watched Ginny. Seeing her at first, he would not have guessed that she could react that way. He had thought she would break down completely hearing Potter's name, not go psycho, and threaten a dangerous Death Eater.

_She must be insane!_

"Now, _where _is Harry? Answer and I may spare your beard."

"If I knew, I would not have told you, Weasley. Beard or not, I'm acting on the Dark Lord's orders. As is Malfoy here." Lombard was obviously trying to get the attention away from himself, but Ginny didn't seem to have heard his mentioning of Draco at all.

"Argh, those _bloody _Death Eaters! I hate them all!" With a flick of her wand that made a yellow light fly towards Lombard, she grabbed Draco's arm, and dragged him up the street with her. As they left, Draco heard Lombard yell behind them.

"MY BEARD! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!"

He turned to see what she had done, and a bark of laughter escaped from him. The feared Death Eater now had fluffy, pink beard. He sniggered. "It does match his eyes, really."

If he had been on another mission another time, Draco would have been thrilled to meet Lombard. But this situation was different. He feared that Death Eaters may take Ginny, catch Potter before him, and leave Draco to be punished by the Dark Lord, or kill her, seeing as she was the daughter of two Aurors, which would leave Draco with nothing once again.

"Yes. I think I'll send him a matching hat for Christmas," Ginny said, and threw Lombard's wand back in the street. "Here's your wand! Now you can curl your beard all by yourself." She laughed, and obviously expected Draco to laugh with her, because she looked slightly shocked when he suddenly grabbed her arm, and gave her an angry look.

"Idiot! You've just given him his weapon back! Do you even know what spells that man is capable of using? We need to get away from here right now!"

A loud bang from behind them told Draco he had been right. Lombard must be mad like hell, and he was not the one who sat back without revenge. Not letting go of Ginny's wrist, he started to run as fast as he could, dragging her along with him. He could hear Lombard's triumphant laughter down the street.

"Oh my God, he's really furious, isn't he? Don't Death Eaters have a sense of humor?" he heard Ginny yell behind him, and was just about to say something incredibly sarcastic back when he felt a hot light pass his head as he ran. Lombard was throwing hexes at them. The light hit a garbage can a bit further up the street, and the garbage can exploded right in front of them, showering them in little metal pieces.

"DON'T!" he snatched Ginny's wand as he noticed she was just about to throw a hex back at the mad Death Eater. "It'll only make him angrier, and the revenge more painful! Let's go this way! I think it's a shortcut."

They turned and continued down another road, hearing Lombard's heavy breath and cursing behind them. Another curse was thrown at them, and Ginny just ducked it.

"I'LL GET YOU, YOU RUDE LITTLE BEARD-JINXING PIECE OF-"

Draco felt a sudden pain in his left leg, and was immediately unable to keep on running. Lombard's third hex had hit him, and his leg was stiff and swollen in no time. The pain ran through him, and he had to clench his teeth hard together to stop himself from yelling out in pain.

"Why are you stopping! Do you want him to catch us!" Ginny snapped at him, trying to drag him with her.

"I'm hit, and believe it or not, it's not easy to run when your leg feels like a grilled sausage! If you want to run, go ahead! I'm going to get out of here!"

Her eyes widened, but she stopped running. Just behind them, Lombard was running towards them as fast as he could, swear and throw curses at them in the same time. Luckily, he wasn't in very good condition.

"Here!" Draco grabbed Ginny's arm again, and concentrated as hard as he could on a place. Everywhere they would be safe from the mad Death Eater. Anywhere that was safe. Safe!

As Ginny and Draco Disapparated from Death Alley, Lombard let out a roar of irritation. The girl had threatened him and jinxed him. _Him_. A respected Death Eater. Oh, it would not end here. He was going to go right to the Dark Lord and give his report. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter's girlfriend. Lombard was positive that the Dark Lord would find the news interesting.

I promise, I'm trying with all my effort to keep both Ginny and Draco in character. It's very tempting to turn them into two super-characters. But then again, that wouldn't make the fanfic very interesting to read, would it?

I'll try to get chapter three up soon!


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